Hidden Ghoul
by Birsin
Summary: "What does this world have to offer?" "Nothing but death to feed us and our cause" Two young Ghouls live in america and are part of a hidden organization created by the government to hunt down trouble making ghouls and people affiliated with them. They must abide by rules set so the public is not aware of the existence of ghouls, but how long can this be kept a secret?
1. Chapter 1

Two teenagers walked down a sidewalk. Nothing they did seemed any different than any other pair of teenagers. Just a boy and a girl being friendly to each other. The boy smiled but kept composure as the girl spoke to him, going on about the day's events and how fun it was. They came up to a door and knocked on it, waiting for an answer. Part of the door slid open to reveal two black eyes with red irises.

"What does this world have to offer?" The man at the door asked the two.

In unison,they looked up, flashing the same eyes as the man, and replied, "Nothing but death to feed us and our cause."

"Come in, you're late." The door opened and the two stepped inside. No one wondered what just happened. A lot of things happen in the underbelly of American cities that no one wants to question. The two followed the man down a hallway, and were lead into an elevator. "Have a safe trip down. Although, I'd be more worried about what might happen to you at the bottom." The man said.

"Don't worry about us, we can handle it." said the boy, his voice calm and fluid.

"That's right Joseph, We're the best don't you know." The girl responded before pushing a button on the elevator. "See ya later Ben." The doors closed the connection between them and the pair rode the Elevator down.

"I can't wait to change out of my civs, they're just so uncomfortable." Joseph said.

"I know right? I just feel like taking them off right now. They're all itchy." said the girl.

"Don't do it Tessa." Joseph looked away. "You'd have to walk through the facility naked, and that would just add to the bad marks we have just from being late."

"Awe loosen up will you? I'm just trying to have fun. Geez brother, get a sense of humor." She leaned against the wall and pouted.

"It is true that we regard each other as siblings even though we have no blood relations, but calling me brother doesn't change the situation. We'll meet with the boss and then change into our normal clothes. We don't want to mess up any more than we have already." Joseph stood up straight as the elevator slowed down.

"Alright grumpy puss, but you owe me big time for today." Tessa followed Joseph's example and stood up straight, as if at attention.

The doors opened to a room that looked not unlike a cubicle office. The two walked down the aisles to an office at the far side of the room and stopped. They gave each other nervous looks as they knocked on the door in unison.

"Come in." Said a deep voice, and they opened the door to pass over the threshold. Once inside, they both stood at attention, small beads of sweat forming on their brows from the stress they created in their minds. "Where have you two been?" The deep voice said from behind a chair.

"We have been tracking the one you told us about sir." Joseph responded, his voice calm despite the worry radiating off of him.

"And? What did you find?" The voice asked.

"We found him sir. However..." Tessa's voice trailed off.

"However, what?" The chair turned to reveal a large man. He radiated power, as if he were the sun personified. He folded his hands in front of him and waited for a response.

"I underestimated him sir. He was far more skilled with his Kagune than I anticipated. He may be a cannibal, but he's no joke." Joseph stood ready to take any verbal abuse the commander would have of him.

"I may be mistaken, but are you not the Blue Phoenix and Feral dog, the team known as Heads and Tails?" The commander asked.

"Yes sir." They both replied in unison.

"And isn't it true that you have hunted down countless cannibal ghouls and, in turn, feasted on them?"

"Yes sir." They replied again, although with less strength in their voice.

"So am I to understand that two well trained cannibal ghouls cannot go against a lower class cannibal ghoul who has little to no fighting experience?"

"We still haven't mastered our mutant Kagune yet sir." Tessa blurted.

"Let me ask again. Am I to understand that two well trained cannibals cannot take down a lowlife cannibal out in the streets of America!" The director was shouting at them now, but neither flinched.

"No sir." They replied, knowing there was no way to explain the situation they just went through.

"Good. I'm glad we understand each other." His voice lowered a bit. "I'll put Chameleon on watch for him while you, recoup from today's bout. I expect you to succeed this time. If not, well you know the consequence. Now leave." The two started to leave and then the director said. "And Joseph, get that wound checked." Joseph nodded and they both left to enter the elevator.

Once they were inside the elevator, Tessa looked at Joseph and said, "How did he notice? We made sure not to get any of our clothes bloodied."

"I guess I showed a bit on my face." Joseph replied, lifting his shirt to reveal a bloodied bandage wrapped around his abdomen. "It isn't that discreet anyways." He touched it and winced.

"What you need is a good drink. I'll buy you one after we get changed." Tessa waited at the door as the elevator slowed to a stop. They left the elevator, going down what looked like a hallway of hotel rooms. When they reached their room, Tessa swiped a card key and opened the door. "You take a shower. I'll get changed and get you some coffee." Joseph nodded and headed into the bathroom and turned on the water for a bath. He took off his clothes, making sure to be sensitive around his wound. He unraveled the bandage to reveal a three inch deep gouge out of his side. The wound was already repairing, but not quickly enough. He would have to eat soon to speed up the process. By the time he was undressed, the tub was full of warm water. He gingerly slipped into the undisturbed surface of the water, wincing at the pain of the heat on his wound.

When he was finally relaxed in the water, Tessa knocked at the door. "Coffee up!" she exclaimed.

"Go ahead and come in." He replied, "My blood is already covering up anything embarrassing anyway." She opened the door and stepped in, coffee in one hand and a bathtub tray in the other.

"Well isn't that fabulous. A phoenix taking a bath." She teased as she set up the tray on the edges of the tub and set the cup of coffee in front of him.

"I always seem surprised when you take a bath." He retorted.

"Hey, dogs love getting clean, they just like to be dirty beforehand." She sat on the lid of the toilet, resting her head on her hands. "How do you feel bro?"

"Like absolute crap. But I've managed a lot worse." He took a sip of the coffee and sighed. "How much food do we have?"

"You hungry already?" She said surprised.

"No, I just need a snack to help me heal." He touched his wound, now numbed by the heat. "I'm so glad I'm not a human. Otherwise I'd be dead right now."

"Yeah, no joke there. How many times have we been so mortally injured that we would have died if we weren't ghouls?"

"Countless." He said, taking another sip of coffee.

"What happened today? We were doing fine until something came out of nowhere and gouged out your side."

"I don't know. I just know that I tried to get close and I was suddenly blindsided."

"He's not a speed type, that's for sure." She said, thinking. "Maybe it has something to do with his mutation?"

"No, we already saw his mutation. The attack was different. Maybe a second assailant?"

"That could be. I was on his tale the whole time, they could have been waiting for an opening. Hmm. But why would he hire help?"

"To protect himself. Or maybe he's running from the second assailant. He does have a history with the criminal organization "Underground". " He swirled his coffee in his cup.

"How does the populous not know about this organization or the underground ghoul crime syndicate? I mean, they kill people and we kill people."

"They mark it as cannibalist activity. The underground organization is marked as a cannibal cult and the people accept this. Americans may have the right to know what's going on in their country, but they have no control over if they get the real story or if they get something the government knows they'll accept." He sipped the last of his coffee and set the cup on the tray. "Alright, get out. I'm done with the bath."

"Alright bro. Not like I haven't seen it before." She winked as she left and closed the door behind her. "And make sure to wash that blood off of yourself!"

"Alright." He slid underneath the surface of the bloody water, enveloping himself in the red darkness for a few moments before pulling the plug and once again turning on the water. After drying himself off, he stepped out of the bathroom and dressed himself in a pair of loose fitting shorts and wrapped a bandage around his abdomen, which had stopped bleeding finally. He slipped in his bed and relaxed, letting sleep engulf him as it already did his sister.


	2. Chapter 2

"Get up Tessa. We have to go now." Tessa awoke to her brother shaking her. "Chameleon reported, we need to move now. Get your gear on." Her vision cleared and she saw Joseph already in his black suit.

"Why are you wearing that? you know it's not a good idea." She jumped out of her bed and started putting on her baggy jumpsuit.

"We need the protection this time. These issued clothes are laced with microfibers that will help with not getting injuries like mine." He hurried to the door, sipping a cup of coffee as he went. "I already made you a cup, now come on. We have no time to waste." He opened the door and waited while Tessa zipped up her jumpsuit and grabbed the warm cup from her bedside table, rushing out the door.

"Why so early? Couldn't Chameleon have waited, or at least fought him?" Tessa said, frustration rising in her voice.

"The director wouldn't let him take that chance. Besides, she...I mean he is specifically for stealth and recon, not combat." Joseph bit his lip at his mistake.

"It's okay, I'm still not used to the change either. But it's his decision I guess, or his situation." Tessa stumbled a bit on her last few words. "Whatever, I respect him for it."

"Same here, but we have to make it to his location before anything happens." They both hurried, drinking their coffee as quickly as possible and depositing the cups on a shelf before stepping into the elevator.

"So what's the situation?" Tessa asks, pulling on gloves from her pockets and readying her mask. It was a black Foo Dog mask accented by deep and vibrant reds with white teeth jutting from the mouth area.

"We were right in our assumption that there was a second assailant. Although it looks like the ghoul is a hired mercenary rather than belonging to a group." He fiddled with a short cylinder in his white leather gloves. "He can't tell what kagune the Merc has or his fighting style as of yet, but he knows the merc is really skilled. Let's not underestimate him."

"You always look like you're going to a ball when you dress in your issued clothes."

"And you look like you're going to get covered in grease working on an engine. We each chose what uniform we want, and I decided I wanted to look formal."

"It's a bit much if you ask me." Tessa leaned against the wall, closing her eyes to relax.

"And that's your opinion on the matter. But I'm the one wearing these, so it would be thoughtful of you to be less complaintive." He stiffened and pulled out his mask. It was a full face gray mask with a beak at the nose that looked like it was expelling blue flames. He attached the cylinder to the left eye socket and put it on. "Chameleon, can you hear me?"

"Yes Phoenix, coming in loud and clear." Chameleon's voice came in through the intercom built into the mask.

"Sup dude." Tessa broke in, putting emphasis on the word dude.

"Could you not put emphasis on dude or any words pertaining to my gender?"

"I'm just trying to make sure I get it right so I don't offend you."

"Yeah, well your attempts at not offending me is offending me, thank you." Chameleon's irritation was evident in his voice.

"Guys, we don't have time for this. Chameleon, where is your location?" Joseph said, stopping the situation from getting out of hand.

"Top of the Space Needle. He's downtown from where I am right now. The mercenary is hot on his tale. Go straight to point fifteen and you should cut them off."

"Alright, we'll head there right now. Anywhere I can station myself?" Joseph replied.

"There's a rooftop covered with several canopies. You should be undetected there until you make your first shot."

"Thank you. Stay on standby if we need you." Joseph and Tessa hurried out of the door, stepping out into the darkness of the night. "I can't believe we slept a whole day."

"Wait, a whole day?" Tessa jumped in surprise. "Well then we better get moving now."

"Agreed." Joseph took the lead, heading down an alleyway that would take them to their desired destination. As they came up on the building, they nodded to each other and Joseph made his way to the top, scaling a drainpipe, while Tessa went to find the ghoul. Once Joseph made it to the top, he activated his Kagune. A long, blue, wing-like appendage came from his left shoulder. "I'm ready and in position."

"Coming up on him now, just northeast of you." Tessa replied.

"Confirmed, target is cornered, you should have a clear shot Phoenix." Chameleon chimed in.

Joseph adjusted the cylinder attached to his mask and looked in the direction they told him to. He extended his arm, as if he were reaching for the place, and forced his kagune to extend parallel to his arm, solidifying it. "I'm ready if negotiations are unsuccessful.

"Right. Wish me luck everyone." Tessa rounded the corner and stopped in front of a beat up man. "Hey. You okay?"

"Get away from me! I don't want to go with you!" The man stepped backwards slowly. "I can't tell you anything!"

"You don't need to tell me anything. But it would be in both our interests if you came with me." Tessa slowly approached him.

"I'm so hungry, I haven't eaten in so long. I need flesh. Flesh." The man stopped and looked at Tessa, his eyes turning black and red. "Flesh, please, flesh." He started walking towards her.

"Sorry sir. But I guess you're going to sleep. Alright Phoenix." Tessa said into the mic.

Joseph readied his arm closing his fist to trigger his kagune shot. At the last second, a kagune shot out of the corner of his vision and knocked his out of position. "Ow! You're on your own for now. I think I just found the assailant." He turns to face his attacker, readying his kagune.

Tessa sidestepped the crazed ghoul, cursing herself at not giving the order sooner. She released her kagune, two deep red koukaku emerged from below her shoulder blades and wrapped around her arms, making two swords. "Let's have some fun shall we?" She rushed the ghoul and swung at him, meeting his own rinkaku.

"Flesh. Let me taste your flesh." Another of his tendrils circled around and attacked Tessa from behind, partially impailing itself below her kagune. She flinched as he pulled out the scaly kagune and tasted the blood dripping from the tip. "Delicious. Flesh." He started laughing, his face distorting into a vision of malignant delight. There was a squelching sound and his face changed from delight to pain.

"That's what you get for not watching your back you crazy bastard." Chameleon said from behind his mask, withdrawing his bikaku from the man's back. "You better finish this up quick Dog. You're brother's doing his best to hold off the mercenary." Chameleon disappeared to the rooftops, leaving Tessa to the ghoul.

"Alright, no more playing around. Time to go to work." Tessa jumps back, getting some distance, and shaped her kagune to claws on the ends of her arms. The ghoul regained his previous composure and rushed at Tessa, flailing his tendrils as he ran. At the last second, she sidestepped and raised her arm, producing deep gashes across the ghoul's body. He screamed in agony as Tessa impaled her claws into his back over and over, his blood spewing from his body like a grotesque fountain. At last, he fell to the ground, unable to move. "I guess I just caught my next meal." She said, marking him with a small device from her pocket and heading in the direction of her brother.

Joseph flew across the rooftop, falling off the edge and hitting the ground. "Damn it all. This woman is no joke." He quickly aimed his kagune at the rooftop and fired a high caliber piece into the air.

"What's the matter. I thought ukaku could shoot more rapidly than that." The mercenary said. She walked to the edge, fully dressed in a black leather suit. "Oh, honey, you having performance issues. It's okay, I can help with that." She licked the tip of her tendril and jumped down to the street in front of him.

"Actually, I forced it to shoot like that." He got up and brushed off his suit. "It can no longer fire rapidly, because I forced it to 'Evolve' to different purposes." He stood still, taking deep breaths to relax. "Although, if you want to see rapid fire, I may have to end this quickly."

"Now that's big talk from such a handsome young man. Really honey, would you hurt a lady?" Her tendril snaked toward him slowly. He stepped away, keeping his calm expression.

"Not my brother bitch!" Tessa jumped from the top of the building and impaled her claws into the ground where the mercenary's tail had once been.

"Heads or tails?" Joseph said as he flipped the coin.

"Tails." Tessa replied. Seeing the coin land in his hand.

"Your turn then." Joseph retracted his kagune and stepped back to let his sister fight.

"My pleasure." Tessa ran straight at the woman with the intention to rip her apart, but she dodged her initial attack.

"Looks like it's girl time then." The woman said, shooting her tails at Tessa, almost impaling her several times. Tessa reacted by slashing at the tendrils surrounding her, scratching one of the Rc cell created appendages. "Ow! It looks like I 'broke a nail'. Guess I'll have to take it out on you then." The woman circled around, impaling one of her tails into Tessa's side.

"Flip!" Tessa yelled and Joseph flipped the coin while dashing to Tessa's defense. He pulled her away and released his kagune, instantly solidifying it to attempt at protecting himself from any attack, within that time, another blue wing emerged from his right shoulder and started firing rapidly at the woman. She screamed in pain as she was impaled with multiple shards of solid Rc cells.

"That hurt." She said laughing. "Now I know why they call you the Blue Phoenix." She looked at him her face distorted in pain. He was breathing heavily, as if he had just ran a marathon. "But I can see it uses more of your stamina to have them both out."

"Shut up" He said, raising his left arm. "And die in hell." He closed his hand and there was a loud crack before the mercenary fell to the ground with a giant Rc crystal through her head. Joseph stumbled, almost collapsing to the ground. Tessa helped him up and brushed off his suit.

"I'll mark her for you." Tessa pulled out a device from her pocket.

"No, I got it." He pulled out a similar device and tossed it next to her body. "Let's hope the cleaning crew does something about her fishy smell before they prep her for our meal."

"Dog, Phoenix. The director would like to see you back in the lab." Chameleon said through the radio.

"Why in the lab?" Tessa asked, walking with Joseph.

"You may want to ask him when you get there. I don't know a thing." The radio went dead, leaving the two ghouls to walk home in blood spattered clothes.


	3. Chapter 3

Tessa and Joseph slowly made their way home, avoiding any routs that would give them away to the populous. They arrived at the door with their masks in hand, flashing their dark eyes at Ben and giving the passphrase. "Nothing but death to feed us and our cause."

"I think I know why I didn't do so well." Joseph said to his sister.

"And why is that, pray tell?" Tessa replied.

"I forgot to tie my lucky handkerchief to my wrist. You know it helps me guide my shots better." he said, brandishing a black, gray, white and purple striped hankie from his pocket.

"Do you really believe in that?"

"It's the last thing my father gave me, and the last thing I remember of him. And it will guide me, just as he would have if he were here." He tied it around his wrist, showing his pride in the symbol that it represents. They step into the elevator and ride it down to the lab area, sitting on the floor to rest on the way down.

"I'd have to say, that was the toughest fight we've had in a while. But still, it was lacking something." Tessa looked at Joseph, who was half asleep.

"Being impaled fourty seven times by multiple attackers at the same time? Or getting one of our arms detached and having to get it sewn back on by one of the lab techs?" Joseph replied jokingly.

"A bit of both." She replied, laughing. "I'd almost forgotten about those ones. But none of them left us this tired."

"I guess we're a bit out of shape then."

"Yeah, I guess so." The elevator door opened, as they finished their conversation, and they both got up, entering the laboratory floor.

"Welcome ghouls to the laboratory and medical center." A lab tech said as they entered the facility. "I will be leading you to where the director has asked you to be."

"Where is Dr. Bellaire?" Joseph asked him.

"She is not present at the moment. She is busy with something important and cannot be bothered." The tech replied hurriedly. "Now, if you'll follow me please."

"Heads and Tails!" A shout came from behind the tech, causing him to give an annoyed sigh. "I'm so happy you've come here to visit." A woman walked up to them and hugged them tightly.

"Ow, let go. We're wounded." the sibling said, in pain.

"Whoops. I'm sorry, I'm just so excited to see you both." Dr. Bellaire said. "Where are you headed.

"They are headed to the experimental wing of the floor, but the director has specified that you do not leave your lab area while your tests are going." The tech said, annoyed at her presence in the situation.

"Well we're taking a break right now so I can take them there." The doctor replied.

"But the Director was very specific."

"The director can go screw himself. These two will be under my charge from now on. You can leave now." Her voice was laced with anger. The tech grunted angrily at her and walked away, he knew too well not to defy her direct word, even if the director's instructions conflicted with them. She smiled as he walked away and turned to the two ghouls. "Let's get moving then." She lead them across the room and through an unfamiliar hallway.

"Why does the director want us to go here?" Tessa asked.

"Hell if I know. Probably to see what we have discovered here." Dr. Bellaire replied.

"And what is it that you've discovered?" Joseph asked.

"A ghoul disease." The doctor said, opening a door marked 'Ghoul studies'. They all stepped in and were greeted by an energetic, elderly man.

"Ah, Joseph and Tessa. How much I've heard about you. And Doctor Bellaire, I thought the Director told you to stay at your lab." He smiled as they walked in.

"You know me. I have no reason to listen to a word he says. Besides, I've taken care of these two since they first arrived here." Dr. Bellaire smiled back at him. "So what are you supposed to show them?"

"The first Ghoul disease we have ever recorded that does not correlate to any diseases that affect humans." He said, walking to a microscope and peering into the lens. "This disease affects the metabolism and digestive systems of a ghoul, causing them to work faster than usual. At the same time, it affects the brain's ability to tell if the ghoul is full or not. This causes the ghoul to have increased energy in short bursts, but at the same time, lessen their stamina and cause them to always feel hungry."

"That sounds awful." Tessa said, "Is there any cure for it?"

"Not that I can tell, no." But one way to lessen the effects of it is to eat exclusively ghoul meat, since your bodies need a lot of Rc cells. This makes the effects of always being hungry lessen to only being hungry every few hours."

"That still sounds awful." Joseph says. "How did you come across this?"

"Well, when you brought back a shred of clothing from that cannibal ghoul, I took it upon myself to analyze his blood, seeing as the only mutant ghouls we've been able to test are you plus a couple more. And in the process, I found an abnormality and ran it through a couple of tests."

"Who did you use for these tests." Tessa asked.

"No one. I used ghoul rats to test it." The man replied.

"Wait, ghoul rats? I thought the only ghouls were human like." Joseph said, worry evident in his voice.

"Yes, well, we grafted ghoul DNA into rat fetuses and allowed the mother rat to eat human meat. and those rats gave birth to ghoul rats." The doctor seemed proud of this fact, but the siblings couldn't help but be disgusted at it.

"Why would you do such a thing? It's just awful." Tessa said angrily.

"Actually, it saves you and other ghouls in our facility from being the test subjects. It's more manageable and safe than using a full sized ghoul for these things." The man reasoned.

"Well it's still disgusting. Thank you for your research, but I don't think either of us will be back here again." Joseph nodded at the man and walked out with his sister and Dr. Bellaire.

"How could they do this? This is a crime against nature!" Tessa screamed as they walked down the halls.

"Many people think that your race is a crime against nature Tessa. They don't see it as doing anything other than progressing our knowledge of you." Dr. Bellaire stated. "Oh, by the way, he's back."

"He is?" Joseph quickly turned his head to look at her. "How long has he been back?"

"He just got here. I can guess that he's exhausted from so long a trip." She replied.

A man dressed in a leather jacket and jeans walks out of an alleyway and into the street. He brushes his long golden hair out of his eyes and puts on a pair of sunglasses. He puts a cigarette into his mouth and lights it, the smell of burning coffee fills the area. A car horn goes off right before he is flung in the air by a speeding sedan. It crashes into a wall as he lands on his feet behind the wreckage.

The man walked up to the car and opened the door. "You shouldn't have done that you know." He said to the thug driving. His voice laced with a foreboding danger. "Now you'll die here. Any last words?" The driver only looked at him in shock as nine tails came from the man's back and impaled him into the seat. The mysterious man left a small device in the pocket of the thug driver's shirt and opened the trunk to find several bags of money inside.

"Woohoo. You made out with a big bust didn't you? Well I guess I'll just take this to the facility and be on my way. Don't worry, they'll pick you up sooner or later." He picks up all of the bags with his tails and walks into another alley to a door. He knocked and a man flashed dark eyes at him.

"What does the world have to offer?" Ben asked.

"Nothing but death to feed me and our cause." The mysterious ghoul replied.

"Welcome back Fox." Ben said, opening the door.

"There's no need to welcome me. Now where's the dynamic duo." Fox said, dropping the bags just inside the door. "I've got a couple surprises for them."


	4. Chapter 4

Joseph and Tessa walked into their room and saw a familiar man laying on Joseph's bed. He wore a white Tee and jeans with slip on leather shoes. His aviator glasses covered his piercing blue eyes and his jacket hung on the bedpost.

"So, how's the place been since I've gone?" He said, sitting up, his long golden hair slightly covering his face. "Still a boring hellhole?"

"You need a cut." Joseph replied.

The man took his hair and put it in a ponytail. "This is the best I've been able to do for that problem. How long have I been gone again?"

"Almost a year now." Tessa said. Causing both of the younger ghouls to start shaking.

"Well, I guess it's that time then." The man took off his aviators and looked at the two teens with his cold eyes. He suddenly opened his arms and screamed, "Come give ol' Foxy a hug! I've missed you both so much!" Both of them tackled him against the bed, hugging him as tightly as they could. They sat there for a few minutes, relishing the reunion.

"Where have you been?" Tessa asked. "What took you so long to come back?"

` Fox sat up with both of them. "That can wait for a bit. First, I have gifts for you guys." He pulled out a bag from under the bed. "Now first, for Tessa. A katana with matching wakizashi. Just don't use them until you finish your training."

She looked at him, stunned at the gift she was receiving, "My own daisho?" She hugged him again. "Oh thank you so much!"

"And it is made with Rc metal. So it can cut through ghouls." He hugged her back. "Now for Joseph. I commissioned you a new tie to match your handkerchief." He said pulling out a black, gray, white, and purple striped necktie. "And a little something extra because it would be unfair for your sister to get two presents and you to only get one." He pulled out a cylinder from the bag and put it into Joseph's hand.

"What is it?" He asked.

"It's a new scope for your mask, self adjusting zoom, digital display, and all the new features you can think of in a cylinder as big as your scope you have now." Fox smiled as Joseph's face began to brighten.

"These are wonderful!" Joseph squeezed Fox tightly. "Thank you thank you thank you! I'm going to go put my new tie on." Joseph started to get up.

"Before you do that, I have two things to say." Fox interjected. "One, you are a bloody mess and you need to clean yourself off. And two, I made a new friend." Fox whistled and they heard a barking sound from under the bed. A small, white, furry face peeked out from between Fox's feet. "This little guy is my new partner. Say hello to Kitsune." Kitsune looked up at mention of his name and made a small yelp in delight.

"He's so cute!" Tessa said, squirming. "Where did you find him?"

"Well, actually, the Ghoul Criminal Investigators Organization gave him to me." He bent down and scratched the fox behind its ear. "This is one of the reasons I've been gone so long. I've been training him."

"Why would the GCIO give you a fox?" Joseph asked, puzzled.

"Well, he's special because he's the only survivor of numerous tests that took place." Fox picked up the animal, revealing the snow white look of its whole body as well as the absence of its tail. "You see how he has no tail? Watch this." He set the fox on his lap and made a few noises to it. Kitsune's eyes went dark and several white bikaku grew out of the place his tail should be.

"What?" Joseph exclaimed in wonder. There was a loud crack as the door was slammed by Tessa leaving.

"I thought she'd be fascinated." Fox looked at the door, surprised.

"We almost had an incident earlier when she found out that they were using 'ghoul rats' for experiments. I didn't think that our DNA could be grafted into other living things like this." Joseph sighed, petting the fox.

"Well I'm keeping him. I've been through a lot with this little guy. Plus, we match!" As Fox said that, he released his own nine white bikaku. Each one with red lightning bolt-like veins on them. Joseph looked at them, amazed and looked back at his face to see a resemblance of a fox's replace it. "Cool huh? It's part of my Mutated koukaku. I don't even need a mask anymore." He laughed, scratching the back of his head with a large white clawed hand.

"How do you have two kagune?" Joseph questioned.

"Well, you know how Kitsune has a bikaku?" Joseph nodded. "Well, almost the same thing happened to me. My parents died and they were both ghouls, but I only inherited my father's bikaku. They implanted my mother's Koukaku into me, giving me claws and more defensive ability. I became the Nine Tails Fox because of the colour of my kagune and the mask that grew once I had a mutated Kagune. But what's really interesting, is that sometimes I can hear my mother saying she loves me." Fox looked like he was going to cry. He took a deep breath and stood up, forcing Kitsune to jump to the floor. "Let's go find your sister and she if she'll accept this little guy for who he is."

"So you really do match with him." Joseph said.

"Yup, we're kindred spirits, he and I." Fox whistled and walked out the door with Kitsune in tow. Joseph followed close behind.

"How could they do something like this? I mean, it's awful. A crime against nature." Tessa said to herself while sitting on the roof of the organization building.

"That's what humans think we are Tessa. A crime against nature, something that shouldn't have existed." Chameleon approached her from behind. "You know Fox and your brother are looking for you right?"

"Yeah, they can go screw themselves. they probably want me to think that it's okay for these poor animals to be turned into ghouls. Well they can forget it!" Tessa pulled up her knees and hid her face.

"You know, they used to experiment on ghouls." Chameleon said after a bit of silence. "You know at least two people who were part of those experiments."

"Who? Who that I know would subject themselves to such things?" She started getting angry.

"We didn't choose to. There was no choice in the matter. It was either let it happen or get thrown on the streets and not be taken care of." He looked at her, annoyance showing on his face.

"Oh, I never knew." Tessa started to say.

"That's because you came just as we were transitioning over to experimentation with animals. Of course you wouldn't know what happened. It was like a great gift was given to us. No more experimentation, we got to relax, to explore, to have fun." He looked out onto the city. "We got to live as ourselves. I don't agree with the use of animals either, but it's better than having you or your brother be subjected to what we had to go through."

"Who is the other person I know then? Who else went through that?" Tessa asked.

"I did Foo Dog!" Fox said happily, walking out of the rooftop door with Kitsune and Joseph following close behind him. "It was so horrible we both forgot our own names, so we stuck with our code names instead. That's one reason why I accepted Kitsune, I know how it feels to be through what he was going through." He knelt down and petted Kitsune, and the fox nuzzled him.

Tessa felt selfish and ashamed. "I'm sorry," she finally said.

"It's okay. Just make sure you get information about something before blurting out what you think is right and wrong." Chameleon put his arm over her shoulder and squeezed her close. "Let's go eat. I haven't in almost a month." They all headed to the mess hall and ate the gathered remains of the criminals the organization had hunted down together.


End file.
